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Robert Rodriguez Brings In Help To Direct 'Machete' Movie

The last we heard about the fake trailer from the exploitation-fest Grindhouse known as Machetewas that it's definitely being made into a movie. Robert Rodriguez has said the script is already done and they're gearing up to getting it made. This was both surprising and relieving for us fans out there who have been dying to see a full movie version of it ever since Grindhouse came out.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who automatically assumed that Rodriguez would be the creative force behind the Machete movie, both writing the script and taking sole hold of the directing reigns (after all, he wrote and directed the fake trailer for which the movie will be based on). Well, we learned today that isn't the case: Rodriguez will have a helping hand in helming Machete, as his longtime editor Ethan Maniquis will be co-directing alongside him.

Rodriguez is one of those filmmakers that pretty much does it all: directing, writing, producing, composing, editing, cinematography, camera operating, visual effects, production designing and has even acted in a handful of (albeit small) roles. And all before his 41st birthday!...

He's clearly a guy who loves the pure experience of making a movie, even if it doesn't turn out to be all that great.

So keeping that in mind, it seems peculiar that he'd bring someone else on to co-direct a movie (he did it with Sin City, but that was a sort of token participation role for directing newcomer Frank Miller), particularly one that has "passion-project" written all over it. Even if the guy he's co-directing with is his longtime editor Maniquis, it's hard to see why he needs anyone's help to direct this thing.

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Perhaps he's not sure how to expand a trailer that's a couple of minutes long into a full length movie... but wait, Rodriguez wrote the script all by himself so he clearly knows what the film should be.

No matter what the product of Rodriguez's "one-man-film-crew" efforts is, usually they're at the very least a lot of fun. They may not be Oscar winning movies, but a lot of people revel in that fact, and it may be the reason he's so popular with average moviegoers as opposed to critics who may pick apart any and every aspect of his movies that are, ultimately, just meant to be taken as brainless fun.

I always look forward to the next Robert Rodriguez project as his movies (From Dusk Till Dawn and Desperado in particular) are some of my favorites to just relax with on a Friday or Saturday night for a couple of hours of mindless entertainment. I'm trying to put the Sin City sequel out of my mind as much as I can because I just know it's not heading our way anytime soon, but apart from that I am very excited to see all of his upcoming work, Machete in particular.

What do you make of Rodriguez getting a co-director to help him on Machete? Are you looking forward to it and his other upcoming projects?

Machete, produced by Overnight Pictures, is being aimed for a June start for principal shooting this year in Austin, Texas, but no release date has been set as of yet.